Selfless Scouts
Scouts Showing Surefire Selflessness
Kenneth Shinji Sasamori
Selfless Scouts
Scouts Showing Surefire Selflessness
Kenneth Shinji Sasamori
Dedication I dedicate this book to acknowledge the commitment and sacriďŹ ce Jeff Sato gave to troop 87 within his 7 years as scoutmaster.
All shirts photographed are Scouts BSA shirts iii
Acknowledgements I couldn’t have created this book without the help of the staff of Freestyle Academy as well as my friends and family.
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Table of Contents
9 - Preface 11 - Introduction 13 - The pillars of Scouting 15 - Eagle Scouts 19 - The biggest giver 23 - Conclusion 25 - About the Author
Preface I am a boy scout. Since fifth grade I’ve been in the scouting program. Scouting has given me not only an opportunity to appreciate friendships and brother-like bonds, but a goal to truly develop a skill set that wields the power and history of all scouting. I chose to focus my topic on scouting to honor my previous scoutmaster, Jeff Sato, for his selfless actions for the program. During the topic selection process, I had originally wanted to focus on my church, and the history of a Bay Area based Japanese Methodist Church. However, when I heard that my scoutmaster would be stepping down from his position, I wanted to create a memorial in his honor. However, a ‘little memorial’ soon became a large memorial. Once again, I underestimated the shear strength and overwhelming power of the animation overlord, raining down fear and terror to anyone who dares challenge it. However, that’s just the thrill of the rush. And what a rush it is. The pure insanity and degree of motivation, strength, and desire required to complete this project was a completely different scale that I have ever faced in my academic career, with the past Freestyle project ( personal narrative ) following in a close second. My largest problem with the project was myself. Overcoming my procrastination is a struggle I’ve developed my life. Up until Freestyle, I could pretty much get away with completing homework on the day of, or the night before, without studying or preparing. Freestyle is different. The work at Freestyle has been one of the largest projects of my life.
Scout Shirt 9
Introduction Boy Scouts of America is a non-profit organization focused on promoting proper values and ethics in American youth. The concept of Boy Scouts started in 1907, when British Army officer, Robert Stephenson Smyth BadenPowell first lead a group of 20 boys to Brownsea Island in a sheltered bay off England’s southern coast (“History of Cub Scouting”). Robert has noticed that many of soldiers lacked basic first aid and survival techniques. While stationed in India, he wrote a book called Aids to Scouting to help teach the ways of “scouting” (Baden-Powell). When he returned home from war, he found that many young boys were using his book to play as “scouts” and thus, the concept of scouting was born. Jumping to modern time, scouting has evolved to a new, modern ideal, with an example being the re-naming of “Boy Scouts of America” to “Scouts BSA”. While a minimal and seemingly unimportant change, it only continues to show the programs neverending march towards a unified and accepting nation. Modern boy Scouts has another goal of a “scout led” ideal, that encourages the youth to plan and execute various activities such as: camps, hikes, rafting, and game nights, with only parents as mandatory chaperones. The end goal of this idea is that by allowing children to be in real-time leadership positions, that proficient leadership skills are acquired. However, this is not the only goal of scouting. The program also teaches many real-life skills such as camping, cooking, money management, citizenship, swimming, first aid, and even video game design through merit badges.
Scout Shirt 11
CHAPTER ONE In modern scouting, 12 pillars of ideas and laws remain as a foundation of the Scouting Ideals. These 12 ideas were first introduced in 1911, and have remained the same since, even till 2018, with only the wording of each point slightly differing to correctly fit with modern ideas. Recited at every scout meeting these words are “[a scout is] trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, and reverent.” These ideas almost flawlessly mold and create a ideal citizen for society to accept. They also may act as a parent or role model for children who do not come from privileged or stable background. The easy way would be to make scouting an organization that would abandon any children not deemed worth saving. However, scouting doesn’t, it does it best to save every child. This makes a significant difference in a child’s life. Nearly 60% of all American children experience violence in their lives (Slowikowski). There are are 72 million children in the United States, meaning that around 43.2 million children faced or face violence regularly. There is an estimated 3 million boy scouts, meaning that 1 in every 3 child that is abused as a boy scout. And through scouts, the bondoing of proper ideals, morals and ethics can be passed to classmates and peers. This reach is what truly makes the boy scout program special and unique.
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CHAPTER TWO An Eagle Scout is the highest honor the Boy Scout organization can award. It is estimated that only 4 percent of boy scouts ever achieve the rank of Eagle Scout. To achieve this highest designation, a scout must first earn the ranks of: Scout, Tenderfoot, Second Class, First Class, Star, and Life scout. Each of these ranks have various requirements such as first aid preparedness, trial readiness, community service, and owning a scouting leadership position. However, the rank of Eagle Scout is something more than just “busy work” for ranks. An additional requirement for Eagle Scout is an eagle project. An eagle project is where the Eagle Scout candidate reaches out to their community, and completes a project. These projects can range from building public benches, to backpack drives, to even building church pews for the S.S.R Hornet’s chapel. The project’s have one rule: they must not benefit the scouting organization in any way, and have permanent effect. To have a successful project, the candidate must require younger scouts to work and help him, as well as reach out to his community to get a project to execute. These projects show the selflessness of scouting, because they emphasize the role that a scout gives to a community. The scout does something for a community expecting nothing in return, with no payment. They must take time out of their day and life to commit towards benefiting the area around them.
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“A scout is tustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courtous, kind, obident, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clearn, and relevent” ~ Scout law 17
CHAPTER THREE The parent volunteers often make the largest sacrifices for the program. Past scouts often return as parent volunteers, pr adult leaders. Our past scoutmaster Jeff Sato was an Eagle Scout during his youth, along with many other adults. These adults often show the true power behind the Scout Oath and Law, as they still uphold and recite the values every scout meeting and in their day to day actions. Many of these adult will sacrifice time and money, amongst other things. For example, one specific Parent volunteer participates in almost every event, demonstrates to the adults in how to help, accomponies the troop to almost every summer camp, carpools scouts to camps two hours out, and organizes almost all of the fundraising programs. While this particular volunteer may be an extreme outlier, other parents do follow suit. Many will willingly carpool, or even attend scout camps that last from one to two weeks during the summer. The dedication and support to the program is truly unrivaled. Returning to Jeff Sato, retiring from Police Detective in 2011, he immediately took over the role of scoutmaster and held the position for 7 years straight. During the time of his scout mastering career, he watched over 100 scouts, starting in 6th grade, and going as far as high school graduates, with over a 25% eagling rate. That’s 21% over the national average, something truly admirable. The sacrifices that each adult makes truly defines Baden-Powell’s dream of diligent and achieving principles in not only youth, but through adulthood, and lifetimes.
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“On my honor I will do my best to do my duty to God and my country and to obey the Scout law; to help other people at all times; to keep myself physically strong, mentaly awake, and morally straight� ~ Scout Oath Scout Shirt 21
CONCLUSION Scouting has changed through the years. The original purpose of scouting was prepare young boys for war-like situations and teach the handy skills to survive. Now scouting reflects more on morals and ethics, emphasizing on becoming upstanding members of society. The Program begins on a simple path, earning ranks and gaining skills in minor skill sets such as map reading, or hiking. When the scout reaches higher ranks, they begin to branch into leadership positions, such as the troop guide, troop quartermaster, and/or troop scribe. While the workload of these positions may not be rigorous/demanding, they build the experience in the scouts. At the highest stage, the scout is required to act in their community and volunteer for the area around them. One of the mottos of scouting is “do a good turn daily”. This motto is taught to scouts even from the cub scouts program even till their eagle court of honor. It truly represents the end goal of scouting, creating a respectable member of society who values others over themselves.
“Do a good turn Daily” ~Scout Slogan 23
Work Cited History of Cub Scouting. (n.d.). Retrieved March 30, 2018, from https://www.scouting.org/programs/cub-scouts/ leaders/about/history/ Baden-Powell, R. S. (1915). Aids to scouting: For N.-C. Os. & men. London: Gale & Polden. Page 7^ Jeff Slowikowski, “Children’s Exposure to Violence: A National Survey.” The United States Department of Justice, 8 Oct. 2009, www.justice.gov/archives/opa/blog/childrens-exposure-violence-national-survey. Baden-Powell, R. S. (1915). Aids to scouting: For N.-C. Os. & men. London: Gale & Polden. Page 7^ Boy Scouts – Boy Scouts of America. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.scouting.org/programs/boy-scouts/ Jeff Sato, personal interview Perry peterson, personal interview Nikhil D’Souza, personal Interview
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About the Author Kenneth Sasamori is a silicon valley raised youth, and is a current JR at mountain view high school as well as a student of Freestyle Academy. He spends his free time studying japanese as well as engaging in community activities such as Boy Scout’s or his church’s youth group. With a simple wish to go into education or politics, Ken also enjoys reading news online.
Selfless Scouts
Scouts Showing Surefire Selflessness
Kenneth Shinji Sasamori